Chris Carlson / Associated Press file
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley watches during practice at the NFL football team’s minicamp Wednesday,June 13, 2018, in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Gus Bradley was so animated on the Zoom news conference to announce his hiring as the Raiders’ new defensive coordinator, multiple times he either dropped the device on which he was speaking or accidentally muted himself.
The veteran coach spoke with an excitement that some might have found incongruous with the chance to lead a unit that’s been the worst in the NFL over the past decade. The Raiders are where defensive coordinators’ careers have come to decline, yet the 54-year-old Bradley showed no hesitation in accepting the job—even with his name linked to other openings around the league.
“I know this is a hungry group of guys and they want to get better,” Bradley said. “This is being passed down from Coach [Jon] Gruden and the guys I met with, but you can tell when you see them play and when [defensive line] Coach [Rod] Marinelli talks about all the players, the passion he has for them. I know this is a great group to start with.”
For the second straight season, a sieve-like defense sunk the Raiders’ postseason chances despite the team’s playoff-ready offense. Las Vegas ranked 28th in the league on defense by Football Outsiders’ DVOA ratings and 26th in giving up 6 yards per play to opponents. The Raiders haven’t ranked in the top half of the league in defensive DVOA since 2010, when they slipped in at No. 14.
Those annual underperformances make it easy to feel skeptical about Bradley’s confidence in turning the Raiders’ defense around in short order, but here’s the thing: He could do it. There’s no reason why Las Vegas can’t be significantly better on defense as soon as next year.
Data has conclusively proven that dramatic improvements from one season to the next are far more likely on defense than on offense, which is more consistent on a year-to-year basis. In other words, it’s an anomaly that the Raiders’ defense has played as poorly as it has for as long as it has.
Bring in the right guy to maximize talent and implement an appropriate scheme, and a dramatic upswing is a real possibility. And Bradley just might be the right guy.
As defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks from 2009 to 2012, he built what were arguably some of the best defenses in recent NFL history. Seattle peaked and won the Super Bowl the year after Bradley left to take the head coaching job with Jacksonville, and the Jaguars were mostly decent defensively during his four-year stint despite their poor offense.
Bradley spent the past three seasons with the Chargers, who were inundated with defensive injuries the past two years but still managed to hover around average under Bradley’s watch.
“This is an exciting defense to play, and I would say that the players will be very excited to be a part of it, because they know they’re going to have the ability to play fast,” Bradley said. “I think our job as coaches is really to evaluate the players and put them in position where they can make plays.”
Bradley is known as an acolyte of the Cover 3 scheme—dropping three defensive backs into deep coverage—marking a change from the Cover 2 that Gruden’s teams have usually played. But Bradley said he’s not married to any particular setup and promised multiple looks.
Bradley’s next month will be spent devouring game film to get him familiar with his new players and decide what approaches fit best. He might even find more playmakers than he expects.
Las Vegas’ defense isn’t as talent-deficient as its numbers might suggest. Nick Kwiatkoski was one of the best linebackers in the league when healthy in 2020. Fellow free agent linebacker signing Cory Littleton struggled greatly but has been a Pro Bowl player in the past and spoke candidly about his offseason drive to put this year’s disappointment behind him.
Second-year cornerback Trayvon Mullen would look like a Pro Bowler in one game, then drop below starting caliber the next. The 23-year-old’s potential remains remarkably high if he can discover some consistency.
Las Vegas appears to have struck out on a few high-priced defensive line free agents in Maliek Collins and Carl Nassib, but second-year defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby have both shown hints of greatness.
The Raiders need more out of all the aforementioned players, but imagine if Bradley helps put them all in position to succeed. Throw in a couple of successful free agent and NFL Draft hits over the next few months, and all of a sudden, the Raiders’ defense could be formidable.
“The stat that’s so consistent is the ability to affect the quarterback,” Bradley said. “If you can affect the quarterback, you have a good chance to help make it to the level we’re all shooting for, and you know what goes on from there. That’s why I think up front is so important.”
Up front is where the Raiders’ problems have originated. They managed sacks on just 3.49% of plays last season to rank 30th in the league, the fifth time in the past nine years they’ve been in the NFL’s bottom three in sack rate.
Such damning numbers come in large quantities with the Raiders’ defense, to the point that they’re hard to believe. Sheer luck, or positive regression, should be enough to ensure that a single unit isn’t this bad for such a sustained period of time.
Bradley believes he can break the curse. One of the remedies will be his energy.
“When I was part of the Chargers, [we’d drive] up to [Allegiant] Stadium, see where the stadium is located, and there’[d be] fans outside in the parking lot, even though they couldn’t go in the building,” Bradley said. “It’s just something I think we’re all very excited about. The people here have been outstanding, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
